Google reportedly plans a major Android expansion, looking to launch its own gaming console and smartwatch running on its popular mobile operating system.

The move is apparently part of a larger bid to push Android beyond phones and tablets and turn Google into a hardware company as well. The search giant already has its Nexus line of devices developed in collaboration with other manufacturers, but this time Google is reportedly planning to design and market said devices in-house.

The news comes from The Wall Street Journal, according to which Google is working on both an Android-based video game console and a smartwatch. The company might release one of those devices as soon as this fall.

The publication further speculates that Google's rumored console may launch as a second version of the Nexus Q, the Web-connected media-playing console the company unveiled last year. The orb-shaped Nexus Q, however, never actually sold to the public. The device was meant to sport glowing LEDs that responded to music and stream content from Google Play Music, Google Play TV & Movies and YouTube, using an Android device as the controller. At the time, Google said it was delaying the commercial release of the Nexus Q in order to make it even better.

When it comes to the smartwatch, meanwhile, rumors of such tech from Google made rounds before. Back in March, for instance, the Financial Times reported that Google's Android unit was developing a smartwatch. Considering that the company developed its Google Glass product through its X Lab, the involvement of the Android unit indicates that Google may be aiming to get the consumer product on the market faster.

Google has yet to announce or confirm any of these rumors, but it would make sense for the company to aim for an expansion. In an increasingly competitive environment, virtually all giant tech companies are trying to expand from developing just smartphones and tablets to offering other types of hardware as well. Smartwatches are gaining momentum as we speak and the industry could be worth a fortune soon. With Sony launching a new Android smartwatch and Apple and Samsung rumored to be working on their own wrist tech, rumors of a Google smartwatch or gaming console don't seem too farfetched.